


Recovery

by doubtthestars



Series: my heart on my sleeve [4]
Category: Football RPF
Genre: Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Gen, Grey A Jerome, M/M, Sexual Identity, Suicidal Thoughts, my manifesto of assholes in love, this went to a dark place before it got a better one
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-18
Updated: 2014-11-18
Packaged: 2018-02-25 04:19:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2608244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doubtthestars/pseuds/doubtthestars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You can't make a home in another person but you can still shelter them from the storm by extending a hand.</p><p>Robert builds a home after years of running away and Jerome realizes maybe a little danger isn't always a bad thing.</p><p>(Noah and Ally got nothing on this.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Command Me To Be Well

**Author's Note:**

> Here you go guys. The muse wants what it wants and it refused to cooperate with me on other stories. I hope this isn't as off-putting as I imagine it could be. It's a bit of a different style than my other stories.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They stumbled towards something of a resolution. Robert never knew how to handle his feelings but it had taken five years to get to this.

Robert had met Jerome by accident, and yes, that was what most people said about bumping into their soulmate, but Robert wasn't looking. Jerome had come as a surprise.

Anna was beautiful and Robert had fallen in love so fast he had probably broken a land speed record of some sort. She was exactly what he needed and Robert couldn't have been happier when she said yes to that dinner date. 

"Do you think something went wrong with us?" His memory Anna kept asking as he repeatedly extended his arms to lift the weights attached to the machine. He had wanted to scream at her, because she didn't have enough faith in them to get through this together. She had left and he was miserable, channeling all of his rage into the gym equipment. 

"You're different, Robert." Of course he was. He had lost his father and she had left. 

He was going to propose. It was one of the last things he had talked to his father about, instead he had pawned off the ring after she grabbed her stuff from their apartment. They had been together for years but he still managed to drive her away. He didn't know how to cope with it. The gym membership that had been barely used before suddenly seemed like a great idea. 

He knew all of their friends would take her side. It made sense, poor Anna stuck with the drunk at home who wouldn't talk to her. 

Robert still loved her, he just didn't know how to cope.

Brilliant psychology student, couldn't even deal with his own problems. Grief was a process. He stopped drinking. He had enough control for that. He was alone in the world so he had to pick up after himself, had to get back to old habits, doing his laundry in a single load, making food for one instead of two. It all left a bitter taste in his mouth, but he swallowed it down. Protein shakes and water bottles replaced the beer and liquor. He worked out in his spare time between his field work and classes. The greeter didn't bat an eyelash at him arriving at odd hours.

He went into the showers to wash the sweat off. 

He found a name and saw red. He barely put on sweatpants before rushing out of the shower. Of course a name would show up at the wrong time. He would beg every god of every pantheon if he could have gotten a mark with Anna, for Anna, but that wasn't how life worked. He couldn't dictate what would appear on his damn body. 

"Who the fuck is Jerome Boateng?" His fate was sealed as he said those words, because he would try to make up for that moment for the rest of his life. 

"Who's asking?" A man with a rounder face but stocky build spoke up from tying a shoe. He looked ready for a fight and Robert was ready to give it. He got in his face.

"You him?" The man furrowed his brows but smirked confidently, if some white boy wanted to start a problem with his brother he would gladly step in. "No, who the fuck are you?" Another man came into the locker room and Robert looked back at the man who had a cap on and dark rimmed glasses, as if trying to ward him off from entering the room. 

"Kevin, what the hell are you doing, Sherin is waiting for me at home and I still gotta drive you back to your apartment." Kevin shrugged and pointed at Robert. 

"He started it, coming in here asking about you like he owned the place. I'm just looking out for you." Robert had heard enough. He jumped on the taller of the two and got in a solid hit before Kevin pulled him off and Jerome jabbed him in the stomach before wiping his mouth. 

"What the fuck was that about?" Jerome was slow to anger but right now he was livid. Some half-naked musclehead randomly jumping him was not what he needed to end the day. The guy struggled against Kevin's hold but he knew his brother probably bench-pressed more than the guy weighed so he wasn't worried. He tried to remember if he had done anything to provoke an attack but couldn't think of anything that would merit the terrible anger in the man's eyes. It was a feral, wounded emotion in his eyes. 

"Your name is on my wrist." Kevin let him go, ready to start a fight himself. Jerome stopped him. It was preposterous. The man showed him his pale wrist and that was his handwriting, that was his name. Jerome shook his head in disbelief. 

"I'm married. I have kids. I can't be your soulmate." He left the locker room. Kevin looked back at Robert and rushed out with his bag. Robert ran after them, turning Jerome forcefully to face him in the middle of the lobby. 

"Fuck you. This is your name isnt it?" He shouted holding his wrist up to Jerome's glasses as if he couldn't see it the first time. Jerome shoved it away from him, pushing Robert back. "You don't want to mess with me, man. Get out of my face. I don't need you. I don't want you in my life." It was a slap to the face and all of his anger sunk into himself. Of course, another person who didn't want him around. Jerome took the opportunity to leave the gym with Kevin. Robert quietly slunk back into the locker room, dressing mechanically. He could feel himself lose control. He got in his car and drove to the nearest liquor store.

\---

"Baby, what happened?" Sherin went to get an ice pack for his swelling cheek and Jerome hesitated. He couldn't lie about it, but he was getting verification. He went into the bathroom, turning on the bright light that was an eyesore in the dark, but made everything sink in when he saw it. The name was flourished in a way he had only seen in films, like a love letter sent to a soldier in times of war and he wasn't sure why it made him pity the man. He wasn't looking for a soulmate. He had made his life with Sherin and sure, he was surprised it was a man but it didn't matter. He had Sherin and that was that. 

The ice pack slipped out of her hands as she saw the dark mark on his wrist. "Jerome?" He looked up and saw the color slowly drain out of her face. She grabbed his hand to see the name better.

"Robert Lewandowski?" Jerome tugged his arm back and grabbed her hands. "Baby, Sherin, it just happened. It doesn't have to change anything. This asshole punched me and made a scene at the gym with Kevin." She stared at him like she didn't know him and shook her head. 

"What do you mean it doesn't change anything? It changes everything, Jerome, this is your soulmate!" Her shouts woke up the babies and Jerome picked up the ice pack from the floor as she ran out of the tiny bathroom to get the girls. 

Their marriage fell apart. She tried for the twins and Jerome tried for everybody's sake, maintaining that nothing would have to change but Sherin believed the stories. She hadn't gotten a mark but she knew the importance of it. Jerome didn't care for it. He didn't want to lose her over a guy he didn't know, over someone who responded with violence when presented a change. Maybe if Robert had introduced himself, if he had done something other than fly into a rampage over his name, Jerome would've at least talked to him civilly, maybe gotten to know him as a friend. 

Instead he was stuck with a divorce and seeing his girls every other week. He had left the apartment, knowing at least she would be happy without seeing him and his mark. Kevin owned an apartment building, left to him by their father who owned other businesses. Jerome didn't have the head for real estate. He had married early and had kids early, but he didn't give up in the face of that. He had finished a degree in graphic design, working on advertising. He had an eye for details, clean designs and color coordination. His mother said it had definitely come from her side of the family, being a seamstress for twenty years gave you an eye for that sort of thing. 

Jerome lived in Kevin's building and was still getting used to 'hosting' the girls alone. Kevin had dropped by before to entertain his favorite and only nieces but he didn't stay for long. He was going to have to figure out what to do if babysitting ever became an issue. He commuted to his workplace now that he no longer lived with Sherin. A knock on his door took him away from feeding Soley. 

"Yeah?" A kid that barely looked out of his teens waved. "I'm your neighbor, Mario Goetze. Kevin told me you were his brother?" A wail brought both their attentions inside. "Oh, you have kids? Do you need any help?"

He bonded with Mario over the girls, letting him babysit them in his apartment(after taking precautions) to give him a break and let him work without disrupting his concentration. They watched football together on his admittedly nice TV(a housewarming present from Kevin) and decided on starting a team of their own for recreation. Captain and Vice Captain of a team that still needed more people, but it helped Jerome take his mind off the empty spaces Sherin had left in his life. 

\---

Robert met Marco and instantly bonded over free will in their philosophy class. Kloppo was a strange professor who showed up in tracksuits to his classes and rambled more than taught but he had passion and knew his subject well. Marco was a sociology major and wasn't afraid to start an argument over the merits of the social sciences versus "hard" science. Robert wasn't sure about Mats, who eyeballed him like he was a cradle-robber waiting to snatch his baby away, but he liked spending time with Marco. He invited both of them to his apartment, playing pool and drinking cheap beer to pass the time. He had won Mats over after a while and Marco was a good friend who was attractive but Robert wasn't looking for anything.

He never wanted to looked for anything. It wasn't like Marco who was hiding behind his past too afraid to commit to a bond mark. Robert didn't say anything about meeting Jerome that night at the gym. He let the other man assume he didn't have a name. He tried to block the memory by drinking himself into a stupor which was what landed him in trouble time and time again. 

Robert drank to get away from his problems but he only made more. He slept with Marco, not satisfied with random hook-ups in clubs or at school. He knew he was good-looking and that confidence attracted people easily and that was fine for Robert, they wanted something superficial and he had locked his heart away and thrown away the key. 

But Marco was different. He cared about him. Mats and Marco had become a part of his life. He was tired of acting like he was fine. Marco could see beneath the cocksure attitude he presented in classes and in general day to day interactions. He liked that. Robert needed someone like Marco to fish him out of his sea of lies.

"You fucking lied to me. You told me you didn't know. You didn't--You made me lie to my best friend for what? A fucking affair?" Robert laughed, already drunk off vodka and the tiny bit of orange juice he had left in his fridge. 

"I didn't make you do anything. You chose to lie to Mats. It isn't an affair, if I were still with Anna, it would be." Marco threw the glass of more vodka than screwdriver at the wall, almost satisfied with the sound it made. He hadn't caught the name in detail but knew it wasn't Robert's ex-girlfriend. The story would've ended differently if it was.

"That's not Anna's name on your wrist, Robert!" And Robert stood up, not sure if he was going to punch Marco in the face like he did Jerome or if he wanted to grab the bottle and screw the orange juice. "Exactly! Fucking right, Marco. It's not Anna's name but it should have been! I loved her! She was going to marry me. I was going to ask as soon as my dad got better. As soon as my dad got better we would've gotten married." He didn't even notice the tears falling from his eyes, his vision already hazy. His voice broke.

"I loved her. Who the fuck is he to take that away from me?" He whispered and Marco grabbed him as his knees buckled. 

"Jesus, Robert. Who can I call so you don't fucking choke on your own vomit tonight." He was still pissed but he wasn't going to leave Robert in this state without someone to watch over him.

"Woj." He unlocked Robert's phone and scrolled through the contacts to dial Woj S.

\---

He had grown up with Wojciech. He was actually Robert's first kiss, and yes, Woj always recounted the kiss as his initiative not Robert's. He went to a different university than Robert and somehow managed to get Robert to transfer. He had driven nonstop that night Marco had called him. He found a mess and cleaned it up, metaphorically and literally. He wasn't exactly fond of cleaning the man's screw-ups but it wasn't new for him. Their school days held less vomit and bottles but Wojciech rolled with the punches. 

He knew Robert needed help and he tried his best to get him clean. 

After the psych major transferred at the end of that semester, Woj drove him to meetings, read up on things to help Robert get better, to leave the alcohol behind. They exercised together and bunked together. Woj was almost nostalgic with their reunion but knew it wasn't all fine. Robert was still hiding behind his facades and still picked up random girls and guys. Woj was worried he would pick something else up but Robert almost looked insulted, saying he got tested regularly. 

He had good days and bad, but Woj was always there. 

"Leave me alone." Robert had a blank look on his face that Wojciech hadn't ever seen on his best friend's face. 

"No," Woj was going to call Adam, Robert's sponsor. He could help.

"Do you think if I cut across his name, it would disappear? Maybe my name would disappear from his wrist. That's what happens right?" Robert hadn't taken off his cuff in the time he'd stayed with Wojciech and Wojciech hadn't asked, knowing it would open a can of worms that would take Robert back down a bad route. He regretted it now. 

"Robert, you know it fades, like a scar." He treaded carefully. Robert shook his head. "No, Papa's disappeared. I saw it." Woj got closer to the bed. It was the anniversary of his mother's death. He had forgotten. It had happened so many years ago, Woj barely remembered the funeral. 

"Hey, hey, I love you, okay? You're my best friend, Robert. We're going to get done with school and we'll go see the great wall in china and the pyramids in egypt. You're going to help other people out there with your fancy degree and I'll finally get a fountain in my yard like an asshole rich lawyer should have, okay? Scoot over." Woj squeezed himself into the twin bed, practically laying on Robert, hugging him. Robert latched onto him, shaking, weeping silently. Robert took deep shuddering breaths on his neck as he shifted around to get a little more comfortable. 

He kissed Woj's neck. Wojciech closed his eyes. 

"Hey, stay with me, don't disappear, don't say that. You're going to get through this. You're Robert Lewandowski, psychology is your bitch. You'll find a way. Your mum and dad know it's tough, I know it's tough, but you're still breathing and you're not drinking. You're alive and you're with me, and I know there's going to be a day where it'll hurt less, not because it's less important, but because it won't be a bleeding wound, it'll be a scar. It'll be a reminder that you fought to live despite everything that happened. It'll be your badge of courage." Woj whispered fiercely, laying a hand on Robert's chest to feel the steady beat. 

He's alive. He's alive and Woj thanked God for it every day.

"Thank you," Robert croaked out, hugging him tighter.

\---

Jerome found a ragtag group for his team and felt better for it. He liked the younger kids. David, Mario, and Holger brought in others and slowly expanded the group. What he hadn't expected was his new goalkeeper to bring in a familiar face. 

"Woj?" Robert(and it was strange to call him that even in his head) called out from the sidelines. Wojciech Szczesny bounded over to him like an eager puppy ready to go for a walk and Jerome felt uncomfortable for a brief second. It wasn't his business if his teammates were gay or straight or whatever they identified with. It was more knowing he was the man's soulmate. It really didn't make any sense to him. 

Why would they, out of the billions of people out there, be compatible enough to warrant a bond? No science explained the choice of name, but Jerome wished he could understand where it came from. He had worked through the issue with a therapist. He wasn't homophobic. Mario probably wouldn't talk to him ever again if he were. Jerome just never experienced much of a sexual attraction to anybody. His therapist had explained there could be various reasons for that. Sherin was an exception, but even when they were together, Jerome hadn't been interested in having sex all the time, less than average at least from what he overheard his co-workers mention. 

Michelle(his therapist) had mentioned there were studies being held on sexual identity versus bond marks. How platonic and romantic bonds worked in the context of gender and sexual preference. He had read up on it, casually trying to find a place where he didn't feel so out of the loop. 

Jerome still didn't feel comfortable putting a label on himself but had decided on the spectrum that fell into asexuality. He thought it was a good fit, but he wasn't sure. It had been a slow burn with Sherin, he had established a connection and that's why he decided to marry her because he thought that was it, that was what being in love was all about. So it was odd, to see a man like Robert Lewandowski as his perfect match. 

He could see the appeal, he was fit and tall, with a handsome face. His eyes were interesting, a mix of color Jerome hadn't seen before, a blue that shone a bit grey or a bit green in the light. But Jerome didn't know him, so how did the bond work.

"Jerome, this is Robert." He shook his hand almost automatically. Robert didn't meet his eyes and Wojciech kept talking. 

\---

He fell of the bandwagon. He disappointed Woj and himself. It was only a little, hardly a fifth of whiskey, but he felt terrible. Robert didn't know how to deal with living in the same building as his soulmate. Woj was the one who actually leased it or else he probably would've seen it sooner. He didn't tell anybody about Jerome and he felt sick. 

He tried therapy but hadn't found the right fit. In and out of offices and he took a fucking drink. 

Robert drank and went straight to Jerome's apartment, not even sure how he knew it was his. His feet knew the way better than he knew and knocked. Jerome opened the door and he had his glasses on like the first time they met, not like the second, and Robert almost laughed because really, he shouldn't be this drunk from barely anything. 

At least he knew he had abstained long enough for his liver to have a tough time. 

"I'm sorry. I don't want this, probably as much as you don't. But I do want Wojciech happy, and he's happy catching flying balls in between being a glorified pencil pusher for his boss. I'm not going to mess up your life. I just wanted you to know." Robert tripped on his words, confused at how to say he didn't hate the man but he didn't want him around either. He was doing this for Woj. He had to do this for Woj and his little pack of friends. 

Jerome snorted and Robert felt a dull disconnected anger at the dismissal.

"I'm not going to do anything to Szczesny for being your boyfriend or whatever. But you can't do this shit at three in the morning, when I have my girls over. I'm a civilized person, Lewandowski. You caught me at a bad time last time." Last time implying the time in the gym, the day he said Robert wasn't wanted or needed. Robert drowned out the words with other thoughts, trying to focus on the civilized conversation he was having with his soulmate in the middle of the night after breaking sobriety for a year. Fuck.

He ran a hand through his hair, willing himself to hold back words or vomit, he wasn't quite sure which was rising in his gullet. He leaned against the wall, bracing himself.

"Robert?" Jerome got a little closer. Robert grabbed his arm without thinking, trying to steady himself and take deep breaths. A year, he had fucked up after a year. He had to tell Adam and Woj and God, he couldn't do this. What a fucking disappointment.

"Sorry. I-I should go." He ran to the stairs, leaving Jerome confused in the hallway.

After six months of slowly poisoning himself and randomly knocking on Jerome's door, he decided to move out of Wojciech's. It would help, his therapist and his sponsor Lukasz both agreed with him. The only problem was leaving Woj. He had told him about Jerome and their disastrous first meeting. 

"Okay, do you want to stop this? Would it help you?" Wojciech was earnest in his reaction and Robert was almost taken aback at the guilt that kicked him in the gut. He really didn't deserve his best friend but he loved him. Wojciech was his pillar of support through everything and he was afraid that one day he'd fuck up enough to lose him too. So he kept him close. 

Moving would change that. 

"No, I still want you." It didn't feel like a lie.

\---

"Are you any good with a ball?" Jerome was fed up with looking at Robert, milling about in the stands, watching them play. After he had left, Jerome still woke up randomly in the middle of the night sometimes. He had chalked it up to routine. Soley and Lamia didn't wake him up frequently, but he had always been a light sleeper. Robert had added to his terrible sleeping habit. He wasn't sure if feeling sorry for the man was making a connection, but he did. It wasn't pity so much as understanding, he had gathered enough information through Szczesny and the late-night visits to paint a picture of Robert Lewandowski. 

It wasn't pretty and that didn't excuse the bullshit but it explained it a little.

It seemed like sober Robert was overly cautious, careful to speak and careful to handle. He had thrown the ball back after a kick from the new guy Neven, and Jerome had gotten an idea to cheer up his goalie and get all of this out of the way. He could survive a few late-night visits if it would lift morale.

"What?" Robert stood up and Woj stopped what he was doing to jog over to them.

"I said, if you're any good with a ball. You know, kicking it around, playing football, futbol, soccer?" Jerome repeated himself and saw a spark in those strange eyes. Robert nodded fast enough to give Jerome a headache just looking at him. 

"I used to play when I was younger." Jerome shrugged and waited until Wojciech got to them to speak, "Well, next time, dress properly to play, you know when we start. Szczesny, meet your new teammate." Woj looked at him like he had just declared it was a holiday and hugged Robert. 

"This is great! You'll be great on the team!" Jerome waved the others over. Mario gave him a look like "are you serious?" but Jerome pretended to not get it and went to strategize, seeing where Robert would fit in.

A knock on his door wasn't surprising, but the hour was. He opened the door to find Robert looking a little curious. Jerome had a feeling he knew what Robert was waiting for.

"They're not here, they're with their mom. It's her week." He usually didn't invite Robert inside, using his girls as an excuse but he didn't have much of anything to protest him coming in, after all, it was his idea to let him join the team. They had to take steps to reconciling with this bond right? Just because they weren't together as bondmates didn't mean they couldn't be friends.

"Come in. I'll make you some hot chocolate." Robert squinted and that looked pretty funny with his chiseled features. He stepped inside, taking off his shoes at the door. 

"Why hot chocolate?" Jerome went into the kitchen to start heating up some milk. "My kids love it and it helps them go to sleep. I've gotten used to it, I guess. Like it better than coffee. The marshmallows really sold me." Robert laughed and almost felt surprised by the genuine response. It wasn't like he didn't laugh at all, he found things funny but he hadn't heard this laugh in a while. 

Jerome got out the tub and carefully spooned some powder into each of the mugs. "So?" He started out the conversation, because he learned over time, that Robert never got to the point if he had to start. He would circle around whatever was on his mind until you got tired of hearing his voice throw false leads. It was easier if you were patient and unexpectant.

"Thanks for inviting me to play." It rushed out of him, "but why?" Jerome poured the milk into the mugs and stirred. He had been asking himself the same thing since that afternoon. Hell, everyone had been asking him that it seemed. No one had expected it and he wasn't sure why. It wasn't like he hated the man. Jerome was naturally taciturn. He got that from his dad. Slow to anger, slow to smile, but always a helping hand, his momma liked to say.

"You seemed like you needed it." He grabbed the two mugs and two packets of cocoa. Robert sitting on his couch was bizarre, but he supposed he would have to get used to it. He was going to be his teammate and hopefully a friend. He put the mugs down on the table and Robert leaned to grab one. Jerome stopped him.

"No, you have to dump the packet in first." He gave him a packet and ripped his own open to dump it into the already overflowing mug. The marshmallows formed a little mountain in his mug and he took a gulp. 

Robert had to laugh. Jerome looked ridiculous with a cocoa mustache. He put down the packet and shook with belly laughter. Jerome licked the excess cocoa and continued on like nothing happened. "So? Try it, gimme a verdict." Robert tore the packet and did just that. He inhaled a bit of the powder and coughed but soldiered on. 

"Huh, that's actually pretty good." Jerome raised an eyebrow. "Best hot chocolate I've ever had." Robert amended. 

"That's better. I have my reputation to maintain."

\---

He was an asshole. A great player but a complete asshole. Jerome wasn't sure if Mario showed up with that pissed off face or if he just constantly had it on now. The game wasn't a disaster but Mats had given him a dirty look when Robert had fouled Benedikt. Of course, that could've been just because it was Benedikt, but he knew Robert was a thorn in everybody's side. 

Wojciech didn't even apologize for it anymore, because Robert being an asshole was apparently par for course when around strangers. Jerome wasn't sure when he left the strangers column and got lumped into the "Robert can be a normal human being around you congrats" column but it didn't mean he was going to put up with it. He got defense mechanisms, but this was ridiculous.

"Lewandowski, come here." He used his I'm the captain voice or what his daughters called his bossy voice. Robert jogged over to him with a winning smile. Jerome wasn't impressed. 

"Stop it, stop the cocky smiles and the attitude. I'm gonna have a mutiny on my hands. At least with the team, your team, the ones who are supposed to have your back? You can't keep doing this hot and cold routine. Leave the mind games off the field, or at least not with us. I'm serious, Robert." He frowned. Robert didn't react, and that was a little frightening, to keep staring down that screwed on smile. It was like a damn clown.

"Oh come on, Jer, I'm just having fun." Jerome leaned a bit closer, maybe he wasn't being clear enough.

"No, Lewandowski, you're not. You're making me doubt you're ready to play nice with others." Robert's eyes changed and he cocked his head like he heard a noise but wasn't sure what it was. Jerome really wanted this conversation to be over and done with. 

He leaned forward, getting in Jerome's face and the darker-skinned man had a split second of deja vu to their first encounter.

"You know what I find interesting, how you switch from my last name to my first. It really _conveys_ something." Jerome vaguely had a flash of his mother talking about a sly-tongued serpent and the devil and Jerome got over it. He pushed back, putting their foreheads together, staring straight into Robert's eyes. 

"Get off the field, _Lewandowski_." His tone brooked no argument and he saw the moment the polish man realized it wasn't a game he could win. "You can't, there's no one--"

"Mario, get up there, Subotic, you're in!" Robert looked fit to kill as he issued orders. Mats looked slightly impressed from his side of the field and Wojciech was as confused as the rest of the team. Putting in Neven for Mario would never work. They were winning by a goal not a landslide. And that goal had been shot in by Robert.

The knocking was heavier than usual and Jerome hissed out a curse as he saw the time bright green on his alarm clock.

"Are you--you're drunk?" Jerome couldn't believe this shit. He could smell it off him, which is worse than he expected. It hadn't happened in a while. Robert had been sticking to sobriety for months now and he never bathed in the alcohol. You could smell it on his breath usually, but this time he _reeked_.

"M'sorry dunno how to not be an asshole." He sounded miserable and filthy fucking drunk. Jerome wasn't sure if he was angry about the visit or about Robert being drunk. He preferred him sober by miles. Robert backed up into the wall like he was a spooked horse and he heard a small voice, "Daddy?" Jerome shot Robert a hard look before turning to Soley.

"Yes, sweetheart?" 

"Who that?" Jerome took a deep breath. It was too early or too late to deal with this. "He's Daddy's...he plays football with Daddy, Princess." Friend was a word he couldn't use right now. Robert was going to get punched.

"Go to bed, sweetie, I'll be right there." He ushered her back inside. He looked back at Robert and warned him, "Stay there or I swear I'll murder you." Robert slid down the wall to sit on the floor. He figured that was good enough. Jerome tucked Soley in and gave her Mr Big Paw to cuddle. He took a detour to the kitchen to get a card and a pen. 

"I don't--kids?" Robert mumbled from the floor and Jerome hauled him up after pushing his door closed. He wrapped an arm around Robert's waist and supported him, walking toward the elevator. "Fuck, Robert, why?" He jabbed the up button. Robert's head lolled to rest on his shoulder.

Jerome was going to leave him in the hallway if Wojciech didn't get up. He wouldn't feel any regret. He would go back to sleep and catch another hour of rest to drop the girls off and get to work.

"Lost the game cuz of me. M'an asshole." Jerome gave a frustrated sigh, wanting to stamp his feet like a child. He slapped Robert's cheek a little to get him to focus. He opened his eyes, looking greener in the artificial light.

"Look at me. This isn't good. You know this isn't good, you can't cope like this. Drinking won't solve Mats being an asshole and driving the ball into the net past Woj. Drinking won't solve anything. You need help. Woj and I can't pick up your shit forever. You have to take that decision for yourself. Are you listening?" Robert nodded slowly. "God, Robert, you can't just show up at my door looking to confess all of your sins. I'm not a priest and I have little girls living with me that need me to drive them back to their mom's in the morning." Robert kept nodding. The doors opened. They shuffled forward slowly. 

"M'sorry. Your wife." Robert gestured with a hand and Jerome closed his eyes for a second, suddenly bone-tired.

It had been two years since he had gotten divorced and it felt like a blink of an eye. He knew time passed because Soley and Lamia were growing, but it almost didn't feel real. He had been dealing with Robert for what seemed like a millenium. He probably heard knocking in his dreams and he wondered if that was what it meant to be Robert's soulmate. To keep pushing Robert into a better state of being, not that Woj didn't try, but Jerome knew their relationship was complicating the line between enforcer and enabler. 

He tried the door, and it opened. Jerome would've felt annoyed but he got it in a strange way. Wojciech had an open door policy for Robert. He could come and go as he pleased and that troubled Jerome. How could the other man stand it? That didn't help Robert at all, he thought, but it wasn't his business.

He dumped Robert on the couch none too gently and relocated a bucket in the same vicinity. Jerome filled a glass with water and left it on the table with Michelle's card. Robert fell asleep.

\---

"Are you jealous of Jerome?" Michelle's voice wasn't particularly soothing. It was normal, not a persona she gave, and Robert respected her for it. They had somehow gotten onto the topic of kids, specifically how uncomfortable he was with Soley and Lamia. He was on an up again, not drinking, going to therapy, living by himself and not camping out in Wojciech's place more often than not. Robert didn't think he was jealous. He hadn't thought of kids since Anna, but he hadn't ever considered children as a concrete possibility in his life. 

"No, not because of that. I thought about a family with Anna but it was a distant dream. I just don't know how to navigate that situation. When they grow up, what am I supposed to be to them? I have their father's bond mark. I ruined their parent's relationship. How am I supposed to face them with that on my shoulders?" He felt silly saying it out loud, because the twins weren't at the age where that house of cards would be stirred but he was being honest. 

"That's years ahead. If it does come up, they'll have to make that decision themselves. You can't blame yourself over a decision they took. Their marriage is their own, you factored in through a bond, but that could have happened if it wasn't your name." Robert had thought it was him, which was egocentric but when wasn't it his fault? Maybe, maybe it was just the fact that Jerome had gotten a mark that was the problem. Sherin didn't seem to like him but that wasn't a surprise. 

"Hey," Robert called out, slowly opening the door to hear the television on a cartoon and childish giggling. Jerome was by a window with Lamia(he thought, but he still was trying to tell them apart.) He was fixing the girl's bumblebee costume, carefully sewing up a ripped seam. It was Halloween and Robert had wanted to invite him out. The other bumblebee stood in front of him, now that a commercial was on the screen. 

"Hi," She waved with a wand in her hand. The little girl was cute with two buns on her head framed by a headband with springy antennae. Her wings were a little bent from sitting on the couch but it didn't detract from the image. He crouched down to get to her height. "Soley, right?" 

She nodded, her little antennae going with the movement. "Yup, wanna watch?" She didn't wait for an answer as she grabbed his hand and led him to the couch like it was her throne and climbed to get comfortable. He looked at Jerome who just had an amused smile on his face. He sat down moving the popcorn bowl to the middle cushion in between them. Robert watched as the cartoon witch who had lost her black cat went on a search and wasn't sure what to do when Jerome's ex-wife came in, looking amazing in a glittery gold flapper dress. 

Was he intruding on a family event? Robert stood up, careful to not jostle the bowl Soley was snacking on. 

"Did you fix it?" Jerome knotted the thread and cut it with his teeth. "Yeah, it's done. I told you my mom would've done a better job than a costume store." 

"I didn't want to bother her, and I didn't have much time." Sherin glanced at Robert and Soley who was still watching the Halloween special. Jerome's knees popped a little as he got up from fixing Lamia's costume. Lamia hugged him and went to sit on the couch with her sister. Robert edged towards the door. 

"Sherin, this is Robert. Robert, this is Sherin." Jerome introduced them. Sherin had color high on her cheeks for her costume but Robert knew when she connected the dots, by the forced smiled that appeared.

"Hey," He raised a hand to shake, but she sidestepped it by calling to the girls. They whined about the show, but Sherin put her foot down and Jerome turned the television off. Robert felt completely out of place. Jerome gave the girls the pumpkin baskets sitting on his counter and kissed Sherin's cheek goodbye. 

The little girls waved at Robert before the door closed. "Have fun, don't eat all your candy, save some for me." Jerome called out.

"She's pleasant." Robert stole some popcorn from the bowl still on the couch. It had caramel and chocolate bits in it and Robert almost hoped the girls got a sugar rush on Sherin's watch. 

Jerome rolled his eyes as if he knew what Robert was thinking. "She's a bit guarded, especially when there's strangers around. Sort of like you." 

Robert had thought about that statement a lot. It got stuck in his head. He didn't think he could have anything in common with Jerome's ex-wife. Mostly, because Jerome maintained such a cool head about everything. He had wondered how Sherin and Jerome even got together. All Robert ever incited from Jerome was biting humor and anger. 

"What do you want from the future Robert?" Michelle asked. He didn't know, because everything circled around Jerome. He had moved because of Jerome, he came back because of Jerome, he was completely immersed in Jerome Boateng, but it didn't feel like he factored in Jerome's life besides picking up the pieces he left all over the place. 

\---

"I fucked this all up." Robert put his head in his hands, wanting to tear at his hair. Where the fuck did Mario or Marco get the balls to call him out on anything. Everyone in a four block radius could see they had something going on. He hadn't drank in eight months and was sorely tempted to, but he wouldn't. Robert was steady. He had Wojciech and he was friends with his teammates after everything that had happened. He could go to Mats' wedding and not become a mess. 

"What happened?" Jerome had been working from home, finishing up a project. He had headphones around his neck and his glasses on. 

Robert sighed. "Marco told me some things I should probably hear. I thought I had this under control, but I keep fucking everything up." Jerome nodded along and Robert wanted to punch him. The man rolled his neck and Robert ignored the twinge of want that coursed through him. He didn't need to add that to the cocktail of problems he already had. They had found a common ground. They weren't romantic bond mates but it was inching towards a platonic bond of sorts. Robert didn't know when that had become a green light for his dick to get interested. 

No, he knew it was last Halloween. After meeting Sherin, he went with his original plan of inviting Jerome out. It had taken some wheedling and promises but he was successful. What he hadn't counted on was seeing Jerome in a different light.

They had gone to a bar that wasn't too crowded, more of a lounge than a sit down and drink bar. Jerome had ordered soda. He had stuck with water. Jerome had agreed to go to the bar if he didn't drink. He wasn't going to stop him, but left it as his choice. If he got a drink, Jerome would leave. Robert had enjoyed the whole night, playing pool and drinking water. It had surprised him what a great time he had with just the two of them. Wojciech had been invited to a co-worker's party and Robert didn't feel like putting on any airs and navigating a party full of strangers. 

But with Jerome, he hadn't had to do anything but be himself. He didn't even flinch when a pair of guys challenged them to a game. They didn't ask about anything besides football and what they thought about the latest transfer rumors. 

He knew he had to talk to Wojciech about it. The worst part was he knew Woj wouldn't fight him on it. Even though, he knew that breaking off this arrangement they had would hurt Woj. He knew he had basically been codependent on him. Robert had come into his life and walked away with everything, always taking and taking without giving much at all. 

Robert wasn't in love, and Wojciech was, he frowned. 

He told Marco he didn't want to lead Wojciech on and he didn't. He just complicated everything up himself. 

"Look, you're beating yourself up for being human. You can make mistakes. You've made them and you've picked yourself up from them before. I'll make you a deal." Robert looked at Jerome with those blue eyes and he felt a chill go up his spine. 

"I'll dig up a suit from my closet. I'll go with you to the wedding even though I have pressing, urgent work and you don't drink, I don't drink." Jerome knew it was more of a hardship for Robert to leave alcohol behind than it would be for him. He hadn't drank since Halloween last year, which was a better track record than Robert's. Having a friend struggle with the problem made him give up on it. He didn't need it to have a good time. 

"Okay, okay." Robert sighed out, feeling relief at having someone go with him to the wedding. Jerome in a suit would be enough of a reward for abstaining.

\---

Mario, the asshole, because he was an asshole who was high off of the power of love or something got him drunk. And he knew, he knew Jerome didn't drink anymore. He didn't have a reason to celebrate but Mario was a fool in love so he invited him over. And now he was spinning. He had gone from buzzed to really happy in minutes.

"Your hair isn't as soft as I thought it would be." It was bizarre to be in his living room being taken care of, instead of it being the other way around. Robert chuckled softly, turning on the television for background noise. "You're heavier than I thought. Of course, I've never been on the carrying side before." Jerome supported his head on Robert's thigh, sprawling out over the rest of the couch. It was easier if he wasn't looking at Robert. His curtains weren't closed. When had he opened them?

Robert ran a hand through Jerome's hair. It was closely cropped to the sides but fluffier on the top, curling a bit. "Well, your hair is pretty soft." Jerome snorted. The other man retaliated by tugging on his hair and Jerome twitched. He slapped the hand away blindly, catching his glasses in the tussle. 

He would not get more tangled in Robert Lewandowski's web. He was like the devil in disguise, more trouble on the horizon than anything else. There was always something else going on with Robert. 

"I stopped sleeping with Woj." Always something else. Jerome wasn't sure how to react. Should he be happy Robert finally took that step or sad for Szczesny? He hoped it didn't fuck with team dynamics. Woj had his good and bad days being a keeper and they had been on a good streak lately.

"Okay," Jerome licked his lips. He should probably get some water. That would flush it out of his system faster. "Wow, that's quite a response, Jer." Robert looked up to the ceiling, trying to slow down his pounding heartbeat. It had taken him a long time to act on the impulse of telling him. The sarcasm was instinctive. Really, it was a surprise he wasn't more of a prick about it. 

"What did you want me to say? Congrats?" Jerome did half a sit-up to get up, sitting for this conversation would be better. 

"No," Robert kept his eyes trained on the tiling. He wasn't sure what he wanted from Jerome. That was the strangest thing about their relationship. Robert didn't function right without knowing how a person fit into his life. He always had the upper hand, knowing all the little ticks and habits people around him didn't want to broadcast. Robert was at a loss with Jerome. 

"I thought you would have some words of wisdom to share." 

Jerome got up, wobbling a little, but getting steadier as he went into his kitchen. Filtered water never tasted so good. Not even after running around for ninety minutes. 

"I'm not your agony aunt, nor an advice column. Do you think it was the right choice to make?" He sat down on his table, facing Robert. He was a nearer to his height sitting on the low coffee table than sitting next to him, eye-level actually. Jerome wondered why it was important, to keep talking about it. Robert never shared any details about it before, not that he wanted to know. 

He knew something was up, because he gauged the frequency of visits with the amount of time Robert was staying with Woj. At least before Robert sporadically appeared at normal, decent times of the day. He didn't even protest when he had to be a steed for Soley and Lamia.

"Yes, Wojciech wanted more than I could give him. He needs someone better than me." Robert felt at peace with the decision. He knew he wasn't going to make Wojciech Szczesny happy and he had taken up far too much of his time already. Robert was going to be the best friend he could be to Woj. 

"Well, it takes two to tango. Maybe he clung onto it longer than he should've too. If there's anything I learned from my marriage is that it takes the both of you to get to that point. A man would rather drown than give up swimming against the current sometimes." Robert looked at Jerome closely, finally realizing he was definitely drunk. 

He hadn't ever, ever talked about his marriage, but Robert could read between the lines better than most. He dealt with it on a daily basis, he spoke the code himself. His curiosity was peaked. 

"Do you miss Sherin?" His tone was low, trying not to spook Jerome into being defensive or evasive. Robert wanted to know, he practically _needed_ to know. Sherin and Jerome were so civil to each other, it was a surprise they hadn't tried to make amends. Robert only caught glimpses of it because Sherin raised her guard around him. 

Jerome rubbed his knees, catching the fabric of his pants beneath his fingers. "No, I miss being with someone. I miss having someone sleep next to me and having to share a blanket. I miss connecting with someone so deeply that I don't have to say anything but they could read it in the lines of my face that something is wrong or right. I miss getting lost in someone's eyes because I love them, because I want them to stay forever in my arms. I miss holding someone against my chest, having their heart beat so close to mine that I can't tell them apart. Sherin isn't that someone anymore. I don't have that anymore, but that's what I miss." He rubbed at his eye, tired even if it was only seven in the evening and he would completely wreck his schedule if he tried to even lay down. There was a flood of emotion pouring out of him and he couldn't dam it up if he tried.

Jerome didn't think he was lonely. He had his family and his friends, and whatever Robert was supposed to be, but there was an ache he hadn't tried to notice before, too busy with his life to give it much priority. He didn't date as a rule, knowing if he did, it would be important for the person to be able to commit to Soley and Lamia also. He didn't want to be the father who paraded a string of girlfriends around his kids. Jerome wasn't going to do that, but he very rarely met anyone outside of his circle to have that sort of connection anyway. 

Robert felt an odd panic settle at the bottom of his stomach. He could see it. He could imagine all of it with Jerome. Shit.

\---


	2. Someone New

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For all his wisdom, Jerome was really dumb sometimes. He couldn't fight against a force of nature. Robert was a hurricane against his closed door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "I don’t think love is always a huge, cataclysmal emotional event. I think sometimes it sits in front of you for a very long time until you glance over and say, oh, there you are. I don’t think it’s your saving grace. I think it’s the hand that you hold while you save yourself. I don’t think it’s someone who sweeps you off your feet. I think it’s someone who stays right beside you and lets you walk on your own. I don’t think it’s always a blazing but temporary insanity of racing hearts and hormones. I think that’s the love that changes us. The love that should stay with us is the calm, deep, thorough knowing that you want to be with someone despite logical objections. And what may be even more important than anything is that I think you find your own love at the very edges of where other people’s love pushes you."

"Alright, what happened?" Wojciech bit the bullet and finally asked. It wasn't exactly a morose Robert on his couch, that he's seen before, but this Robert was alien to him. It wasn't a bad feeling but his senses were tingling, something was up in the world of Robert Lewandowski and usually Woj wasn't the last to find out. 

"What makes you think there's something wrong?" Robert flipped through the channels mindlessly, not satisfied with anything on the screen. Woj put a hand on his hip and turned to face the couch-loafer. He gives him the best years of his life and this is what he gets in return, like he hadn't grown up with the bloody asshole. 

"Because I know you, and you've been weird since Gotzeus got Jerome drunk and got over themselves. Also, because you're on my couch when I explicitly told you I have a date tonight and I'm hoping to get lucky so please vacate the groove your ass has left in the cushions for a night because you have your own damn apartment." Robert made a distasteful face and got more comfortable in his cushions. Wojciech went back to the mirror to readjust his tie. 

Robert looked at the time. "Are you supposed to meet your date or is he supposed to pick you up? I want to meet him." Completely avoids the question, typical Robert response. Well, he wasn't in dire straits and that was good enough for him. Woj turned the television off with his universal remote. Robert cursed in polish.

"Get up, go away, I'm meeting him. He has a British accent, he's smart, he doesn't care that I'm a soulless lawyer. I'm not going to let you in a ten foot radius of him. You'll probably hypnotize him to wet his pants any time he gets an erection around me. No thanks." Robert chuckled and got up from the couch, purposely trying to fluff the cushions up. Wojciech rolled his eyes. 

It wasn't like he didn't care, but with Robert it was better to wait than to pull teeth. And he really liked this guy, going back into dating was rough and completely boring. Woj was originally on a date set up by a co-worker when he met Jack. They hit it off immensely and Woj left his drunk date to fend for himself. 

"He calls you Wojtek," Robert mocked. Wojciech laughed, almost guffawed really. 

"Yes, most people call me that, idiot. Not everyone can say my name properly." Robert scoffed, offended on his behalf. He pecked his cheek, more like the corner of his mouth and Woj still had to fight his automatic reaction to having Robert kiss him. He shoved him, annoyed at still finding his best friend stupidly attractive in an old grandpa sweater and dad jeans.

 _"Good luck, Wojciech."_ Robert practically flounced out of the apartment. "Asshole!" Woj shouted after him. 

\---

Robert had a plan and he had hope for the future. Michelle had encouraged him to not overwhelm himself, to take steps. He had let Wojciech go to be free to date and stand as his best friend without any other strings attached. He was single, and dealing with it, learning to be by himself. 

Sort of. 

"Did Szczesny kick you out again? You're like an traveling dog nowadays." Jerome didn't even wait for him to knock on the door, guessing by his footfall. Robert looked insulted. 

"Did you just call me Wojciech's pet? I'm expecting the fire brigade in an hour when they leave their candles and roses unattended to have--" Jerome shushed him and Robert peeked behind his tall frame to see the twins sleeping in the living room. It looked like they had been playing at a fort with the couch cushions strewn about. "Sex," he whispered, continuing his thought. Soley and Lamia weren't going to wake up from his R-rated words. Jerome gave him a dirty look and closed the door behind him gently. 

He hadn't planned on staying long after hearing that _Jack_ was going to be over, but he figured seeing Jerome for a chat wouldn't hurt. Woj had been seeing Jack for a little over a month and Robert was disgruntled. It seemed like Woj wasn't just clingy with Robert, he was taken by the Englishman and stuck to him like glue. 

"Are you jealous, Robert? Is he stealing your best mate from you?" Jerome couldn't help but rib the man. It was completely amazing how Robert and Woj navigated a break up and still wound up better friends than most. Mario had almost started a rumor that Jack's dick held some sort of superpower, because Woj had saved a stupendous amount of shots in the past month. Robert carried a wounded ego for weeks over that comment. It was hilarious how against Jack's likability the polish man was. 

"They're going to defile my couch again. I sleep on that thing. I swear he does it because he hates me and Woj doesn't do anything to stop him." Robert hadn't actually slept on the couch since December when they had gotten together for a holiday feast. Wojciech was the only family he had left, he rightfully hogged him for the festivities. 

He had been working on getting more hospital shifts and staying in his apartment. He just liked hanging out with the guys better than being stuck in his barely furnished apartment. Marco had started inviting him back into the fold and Jerome had taken pity on his "homeless" state, now that Woj sexiled him constantly. Robert was now familiar enough to the girls that they climbed all over him without being shy. 

Mats had even forgiven him for being a "douchebag who couldn't lie out of a paper bag and still had the audacity to try." He had made up for the lack of a wedding gift with a bigger Christmas gift. 

"Jack doesn't hate you. I'm pretty sure he's incapable of hate. Is there a word for that in the psychology world?" Robert grumbled. "A sociopath, obviously." Jerome raised an eyebrow, shaking his head. 

"Get over it, Woj is allowed to branch out from his life revolving around you." Robert clutched at his heart theatrically. "You wound me, I'm happy Woj is getting laid regularly but really, I commute just to see his ugly mug after a hard day's work and this is how he repays me." 

Jerome gave a sharp bark of laughter, "You work? That surprises me, with how often you come to bother me." Robert froze for a second before laughing along faintly. His hours had been sporadic with a new phase of workers going out to be replaced by others and he naturally gravitated to spending more time with Jerome. 

He had been an impetus to getting better for Robert, and he didn't want to fall into another dependency. He wanted to have a future with Jerome, but he didn't expect anything from the man. He knew he had to change for himself before thinking of another relationship. 

"Maybe I just want to see you after a hard day's work too." 

\---

Sherin had asked him if he was seeing Robert, like it was in the realm of possibility. 

"He's always around, I just assumed there was something going on." She never minced words, and Jerome looked back at the exponentially growing times Robert had been over when Sherin got the kids or dropped them off. It hadn't seemed like a big deal until he really took it into account. 

Robert had gotten over his "I'm going to break them" phase with the twins and was an extra playmate slash babysitter when Mario was off with Marco. It helped him keep on track with his workload and it gave Robert a purpose other than milling about waiting for Woj to finally realize Jack was a "sociopath." 

He was sure, deep down, Robert liked Jack. 

"No, he's just allergic to his apartment." Sherin made a noise that clearly showcased her disbelief, before answering with a "Sure"

Jerome hadn't known how to respond beyond that. Robert had slowly carved out a place into his life without having to show up at his door drunk or depressed. It had taken almost four years since that first meeting, but he could honestly say Robert was his friend. What he couldn't honestly say was if he found himself attracted to the man. 

Robert hadn't changed much since they met, still muscular and shorter than him, still with those mercurial eyes and cocky smile, but he seemed steadier. There hadn't been a relapse on the alcohol front, and that was another conversation Jerome hadn't expected.

"Guess what today is?" Jerome had a headache. He wasn't even sure why he had let Robert in, besides the chance to get out of his chair and away from the pixels he had been staring at for a good hour and a half. 

"Another day to not become a circus clown?" Robert looked puzzled at that but continued on with a grin. "No...I've been sober for a year. Not a drop, can you believe it?" Jerome was taken aback. They had to celebrate somehow. Robert hadn't reached that mark since before Jerome really knew him. He had still been living with Woj and Jerome still feel responsible for that relapse. How funny fate worked that Robert's best friend would end up moving into his brother's apartments, right into his bondmate's life. 

"I-I don't know what to say, besides congratulations. You should be proud. I'm happy for you." It lacked finesse but he used his words with some difficulty. He was proud of Robert. 

"I also wanted to tell you, you don't have to order water anymore. I mean, I appreciate the gesture but you can drink if you want to." Jerome blinked in confusion. Robert's knee jumped a bit as he laid a hand on it. It was completely uncharacteristic of Jerome to initiate such an intimate touch, but he felt it was right to underscore what he was going to say.

"I don't want to drink." He said slowly, almost angrily. "I've seen you struggle with alcohol since I've known you and seeing that helped me understand I don't need it. It's my choice. It's not pity or some sort of companionship for you, but if it helps then I'm glad. I don't want you to feel left out, but I also don't feel like I should partake in something that causes you so much pain. I don't miss dehydrating myself and making my liver work extra hard through an expensive habit." Robert's eyes were wide, looking a bit more like sea glass than a storm, and Jerome was rushed into a hug. 

"Thank you." It was a bit watery and Jerome felt uncomfortable, getting Robert upset on such a momentous day. He had just said what he felt was true. 

"Come on, we're going to get Mario and Marco and we're celebrating with takeout." Robert shrugged, letting go of him and replied with, "I'd rather it just be you, if that's okay." Jerome let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding and nodded. It was Robert's milestone, he could do what he wanted.

"Pick out a movie then."

Jerome wasn't sure where the improving Robert Lewandowski would lead him.

\---

"Are you pining?" Marco nudged Robert, getting him out of his trance. There was something oddly sexy about seeing Jerome in his element, whether it was on the pitch or out. Robert almost wanted to laugh at himself, he hadn't been this enamoured since Anna. 

He found himself wanting all the intimacy Jerome had mentioned before, but also found himself wanting to kiss him. It was a disarming feeling to not lust after someone from the beginning and actually getting to know the person. Woj had been his friend from the beginning and that transitioned into a friends with benefits. Marco fell along the same lines but Jerome sent him for a loop. 

It was exciting and frightening. 

"You act like we all don't know about the Waiter story. Andre has a big mouth and I don't drink." Robert swiftly cut down Marco's glee. 

"Whatever, I still know what lovestruck looks like." Robert snorted and wondered if Marco was even trying. "By looking in the mirror? Again, too easy, Marcinho." The midfield duo was down a half since Marco had strained his ankle. Robert had been substituted out. Jack cheered particularly loud at Woj's good save.

He knew he was staring. It was an exercise, to see if he would get a reaction from Jerome, but he was also mapping his expressions. Wanting someone was easy but knowing someone was hard. People constantly surprised him when they put their mind to it. Marco not wearing his cuff anymore was a great example. He didn't ever think it would happen but lo and behold Mario had changed that.

Robert sat next to Holger and Jack at dinner, having to play nice because Wojciech was determined to make them friends. So in the middle of his steak and potatoes, he got a note passed by Jack in Woj's scribble. 'So obvious you're making me gag.' Robert scooted his chair back and made a choking motion, pointing at Wojciech. Jack had turned red and was staring at his plate like he wanted it to swallow him whole.

He lost his appetite. In theory, studying Jerome did no harm, but in practice, Robert felt lacking. The more he took note, the more he felt inadequate to really be with Jerome.

It wasn't like he had the best track record with happiness. Robert was afraid it would all come tumbling down if he made a move. Jerome was a creature of habit. He liked his things where they were and making a home where he could, putting himself in the little details. Robert admired that. He could read his history in the curtains and the wicker baskets that held the twins' playthings under the entertainment system. It was all the love Robert had wanted but he was afraid.

He didn't know how to build a home.

"You okay? You haven't been staring at my eyebrows for all of dessert." Jerome put a warm hand on his shoulder and Robert looked up to him, upside down. Some of the guys had scattered already. His ice cream was melting.

"I wasn't staring at your eyebrows. I was staring at your face. I guess I lost track of time." Jerome hummed. Robert got a terribly stupid idea. 

"Are you doing anything on Thursday?"

\---

He wasn't an idiot. In fact, he liked to think he was surrounded by them most of time. Sure, they were his friends but they were also somewhat hard-headed and dumb in aspects.

Jerome definitely wasn't dumb. He knew Robert was pulling his metaphorical pigtails. He was trying to get a rise out of him. Everyone was holding their breath, making silent bets as to what would happen. Mario was calling Thursday, the Schrodinger's date. It wasn't a date. Jerome didn't date. Robert knew that. 

He was doing him a favor during a long drive.

Sherin had the girls and Robert had wanted the company. Jerome had finally caught up with his work. He didn't have a reason to say no, beside the pigtail-pulling. 

He didn't _want_ to say no. That was trouble. Jerome survived by being the level-headed younger brother in the Boateng house. George and Kevin were the more outgoing and trouble-making of the three, not that he didn't learn anything from his brothers but he also took into account their mistakes to not get caught. Jerome had learned from an early age that the best way to not get caught was to not be prideful, to be quiet about it. 

They never assumed it was you if you didn't say anything and let your brothers take the fall. Jerome almost wished his brothers were around more. 

"Ready to go?" It was odd not seeing Robert's eyes. He had on expensive sunglasses and thin windbreaker that didn't seem like it would ward off the lingering winter chill. Jerome had layers on and still felt the cold morning wind nip viciously at his bones. 

"Yeah, where are we going?" He slid into the warmer car. Robert gave him a smirk. "Wouldn't be a surprise if I told you now." Jerome felt another metaphorical tug and settled for a long journey. They were going east, he could tell that much. 

"Hot chocolate?" Robert nodded towards the take-away container in the middle console. "Not coffee?" Robert shook his head. 

"Not unless you want to switch cups, you said you liked it better than coffee in the morning." Jerome almost went for the other cup, but that would be taking the bait. Warmth was warmth and at least he wouldn't have coffee breath for however long this would take. He did turn the radio on, just to fake Robert out for a moment. 

"Any other questions I should avoid during this trip?" Jerome fiddled with the zipper of his hoodie. Robert tapped out the drum beat of the song on his steering wheel and thought. 

"Maybe are we there yet, but I think that's the only limitation I'll give you." Jerome took his hot chocolate in his hands to get them warm, taking a sip. "Sounds like I'll be able to ask some creative questions then." 

"Only if I get a turn." Robert flashed his teeth, his eyes still hidden under the dark tint. 

Jerome found out that Robert grew up with a cat that hated him, hated pasta, and went skinny dipping once. Robert learned that he sprained his wrist on a ski trip, but had never broken any bones, liked Batman over Superman, and never had sex in public setting.

After a lull in twenty questions, Jerome looked out the window to see the countryside, punctuated by little houses and really had to wonder where they were going and why. Robert had told him it would take four and a half hours and they would get a late lunch before heading to the mystery. 

They were in Poland, that was obvious, but it didn't explain much. It started raining as they got into the city. Robert had an old cap in his trunk to shield his hair and Jerome just pulled up his hood as they stopped for lunch. Jerome was starting to think Shrodinger's cat was very much alive and really how did Mario even come up with that analogy.

The cat was probably strutting around with its tail in Schrodinger's face when they pulled into the driveway of a quaint house. 

"Welcome to my childhood home," Robert's cat was probably Schrodinger's cat and had come back from a very natural death to use Jerome's sensibility as a pincushion. 

He entered the house and it was less musty than he expected. Sheets were draped over furniture but it wasn't dreary. It didn't have the smell of old things, but it had a quality of being stuck in time. The tour ended in Robert's old room where the man sat on the small bed for a moment before laying down and stirring dust into the air. 

"Why do you pay for an apartment if your parents left you a house?" Jerome sat down next to him, still crosswise on the bed. Robert closed his eyes and listened to the rain on the roof. His nose was cold and he probably had dust clinging to his wet jacket, but he had finally made the trip he neglected to in months. 

"It was the last place I was truly happy. Come on, lie down." He tugged at Jerome's arm. 

Jerome had more common sense than that, but he had already ruined the experiment. He opened the door for the cat to saunter out. Another cloud of dust surrounded them from his impact with the bed cover.

"I spent a lot of time running away from my problems. I came back here with Woj after I-I was in a bad spot. Worse than the drinking and wallowing. He thought it would help me remember the good times, but it just made me realize how much of myself I lost over the years. I was angry about being the only one left. All I had was this house and a bank account. When my father died," he swallowed and Jerome took in even breaths as if it would help the other man get through it. "When he died, I stopped swimming against the current and started drowning." 

He couldn't give Robert any absolution. He wasn't a pastor or a saint. Jerome didn't know why Robert felt like confessing every time they were alone. He was just a man and he could swallow all of Robert's pained words to feel them like glass tearing at his insides, but he couldn't take it away. The man was dangerous, threatening to unravel all of Jerome's boundaries. 

"Why did you bring me here?" He whispered against the rhythm of the rain. Why did Robert do anything? Jerome couldn't figure it out and it plagued him. He didn't deal with uncertainties by putting them off for the next day, Jerome had to know.

"Because I wanted you to see it. Can you see me?" Robert kept staring up, but Jerome closed his eyes, trying to envision the house without sheets and dust, seeing two boys tussling on the carpet until a voice called and down the stairs, the kitchen was filled with light and love. Robert growing up without his mother, his father trying his best to keep his home infused with happiness and good memories like Jerome did with his girls.

"Yes," Robert's hand was so close to his, he had an odd sense of displacement when Robert's fingers spasmed, as if it was his hand that moved. 

"Good." Jerome could only measure his breath, afraid of revealing anything more to the serpent in the garden. It felt like he was falling.

\---

"What did you do?" A late-night knock was usually a bored Robert with insomnia not an angry Wojciech Szczesny. Jerome was caught unawares as Woj pushed into his apartment. 

"Robert isn't answering his phone, he's not at his apartment, what. did. you. do?" He seethed. It was the anger that woke him up. He had never seen Szczesny like this. It wasn't the anger at a bad call or a foul, Woj was furious and worried. It wasn't so much explosive as nervous, like a mother standing by the window waiting up for her husband, not knowing what he was gambling away. 

"I haven't seen him since Thursday, we came back from his house and it was late so--" Szczesny sat down like a puppet that got its strings cut off. 

"Oh god, you went back to the house, to his parent's house? Oh no, oh god." Jerome saw his keeper's hands shake as they clutched at his hair. 

"He could be out there, drinking himself to death right now. Jesus christ, I'm going to call for a BOLO on his car." He got up, Jerome sat him back down forcefully. It had been two days. The rain had followed them back and it hadn't let up enough to allow for practice to happen. Szczesny had to be overreacting. Robert had been fine after dropping him off. 

"Calm down, it's only been two days." Woj shrugged off his hands and starting pacing. "He doesn't ignore my calls, even if he's busy, he sends me something to acknowledge he got it. We have a deal, something has to be wrong if he didn't respond. Robert doesn't just go to the house to fucking have a good time. He goes there to-to punish himself or put his life in perspective and ends up drinking himself into a stupor! You're not the only thing in his life that can cause a relapse." 

That was a low blow but Jerome was now getting worried. He seemed okay but Robert had practice in hiding how he really felt. Wojciech started to leave. 

"Where are you going?" 

"To check the bars he usually ends up in." Jerome grabbed his keys. "I'm going with you." Woj sighed raggedly and nodded.

There was a distressing amount of hovels Robert liked to drink at. Jerome hadn't ever had to be the one to pick the man up after bingeing and was suddenly glad Robert at least had Wojciech to get him out of some of those places. They hadn't found him and they were getting anxious. It was already daybreak when Szczesny's phone rang. 

"Where are you, I've been worried sick, up all night checking--you what? why? Yeah, well Jerome and I are never getting these hours of lives back. Christ, get a car charger you asshole." He hung up with shaky affection coloring his tone. Jerome blinked rapidly to keep fatigue from ruining his own expression of relief.

"I'm sorry. I guess that date went a lot better than I thought?" Jerome couldn't parse what _Wojtek_ was trying to insinuate. He was exhausted now that adrenaline had left his body. He didn't even correct him on the word date, too concerned to know what Robert had said over the phone.

Wojciech just shook his head, looking to the sky as if he could find answers there. "He got a dog, and he's training it at the house since there's a yard there, like there's not a bloody perfectly good park here. I guess I did overreact. I'm sorry I accused you and was a complete drama queen."

"It's alright, to be honest, I'm glad he's got a friend like you. I don't know if I could've kept track of all of that without wanting to keep Robert somewhere safe under lock and key." He closed his mouth, regretting letting his sleep-deprived mind take control. Jerome glanced at Woj. He was flushed but started laughing a little hysterically as they came to a red light.

"Sorry, sorry, but you do realize I know where you're coming from right? Robert is a menace and you can try to fight it, but he will bulldoze those nice walls you've put up and start remodeling for you. So as a friend and practical brother except for the fact that we've had sex and incest is just not the way to go, please tell me you're going to put him out of his misery soon." 

This was a surreal moment in his life and if he ever got around to telling this story, he would gladly skip the intervention happening at an empty crossroads when he should've been resting in bed. 

"What?" was all he could offer to the still sniggering Wojciech. 

"He got a dog, that's more commitment than he was willing to put with me and he's hanging around the house like it's never been a giant flashing sign of 'here lies Robert Lewandowski's happy family memories'. You've done something to him, bewitched him into someone I haven't seen since I was twelve years old." A honk blared behind them and Jerome jumped, possibly experiencing himself out of his body for a second.

"It's Sunday, where do you have to be at 5 AM, mate?" Woj shouted out the window but drove on. "Anyway, I would say good job or congratulations but the fact is I'm a bit jealous and mystified. I guess that's the power of a soul bond. You pick up the pieces even I can't get at." He kept chattering and Jerome wondered if the sun somehow powered Szczesny's ability to talk.

"What?" He needed to crawl into bed. 

\---

Jerome met Stallone the dog on a Sunday afternoon. Soley and Lamia wanted to keep the dog like a new toy. The puppy was tan and black with a white belly and forehead that liked to chew on shoes.

"Can we get a doggie like Lunchbox?" Lamia asked with her own puppy eyes that Jerome almost couldn't deny. Robert had snuck in the puppy into the building that had rules against that sort of thing and now Jerome had to deal with two little girls wanting their own dog. "Lunchbox?" Robert asked a little incredulously. 

Soley held up the squirming puppy like her own personal Simba. "Lunchbox," repeated in such a serious tone that Jerome couldn't help but laugh. 

"I didn't think you were much of a Rocky fan anyway." The newly christened Lunchbox ran around with the girls following him like a odd game of follow the leader. Robert stopped at the doorway of the kitchen, soaking in the domesticity as Jerome started lunch of macaroni and cheese with bacon and a side of veggies. 

"He came with the name. Besides that isn't a name, that's an object." Jerome bit the inside of his cheek to keep from laughing at the other man's face. "I don't know, I think it suits him. Come here and help or else you and your dog aren't getting fed." Robert grabbed the frying pan. He could do bacon, and feed Lunchbox. 

Jerome turned up the radio and Lamia started singing along with the puppy barking in between. 

"You know this is a no pets allowed apartment building right?" Woj's voice came back to him, 'Robert is a menace.' and Jerome had to agree. Robert rolled his eyes.

"Alaba has fish and Lucille loves you." Lucille was the technical landlady of the building who occasionally cleaned the corridors and she definitely hated Robert for being a free-loader in her eyes. Kevin had hired her after jumping on board with some business venture of George's. 

"They're in a tank. They won't pee in the corner and mess up the carpet." 

The rest of the team met Lunchbox Stallone at practice a week later and had effectively brought grown men to a complete disarray. Jerome had to cancel the training to let the others play with a frisbee or throw a ball for Lunchbox to catch. 

"You did this on purpose." Jerome accused Robert, sabotaging their training to roll around with a puppy. Mario was literally on the ground. Holger was talking about starting an instagram for the dog. 

"Lighten up, we deserve a break. We've been on a good streak but we can't burn out either. This is for fun, not more work." Jerome stared at Robert like he had grown a second head. It was strange to think he had influenced Robert into someone more capable, because Robert had it in him all along. He just needed a push.

"I'm still going on a run through the park." 

"He's totally Noah-ing you." Mario said around a mouth full of chips. He looked like a chipmunk and Jerome didn't get whatever reference he was trying to pull. David pointedly did not look at him, focusing on his chemistry notebook even though it was game night and he had no chance of reviewing any of the material.

"Oh come on, I know I'm not the only guy in the room that had a girlfriend in the early 2000s. The Notebook?" Jerome vaguely remembered the film. Girl meets boy, they fall in love, they fight, he goes off to war or something and she has Alzheimer's? He lost interest by the middle of it.

"What does that mean?" David slowly sank into the couch. Mario looked a little mad. "He's building you a house? He's building you a house." Mario threw his hands in the air to emphasis while David groaned, not wanting to be in the room. "He got a dog!"

Jerome shook his head. Why did everyone think Robert getting Lunchbox was his fault? There wasn't any sort of correlation to prove that. 

"He's renovating his parent's old house. That doesn't have anything to do with me. And Lunchbox doesn't either." Mario stabbed the air with his accusing finger. 

"Jerome, don't play dumb. _Lunchbox._ I joked about calling him Rolley and Robert stopped letting me feed him treats. Your kids renamed the dog and he didn't just randomly think I'm going to spends hours driving and working on a house for no reason." Jerome felt a tickle of anger flare. 

"Maybe if you didn't insinuate his dog was fat with a name like Rolley, he would let you feed the damn dog. And it's his house, he can do what he wants with it." Jerome stood up, wanting to leave, feeling like he was being judged for something he hadn't done. Robert was taking steps to fix his life and everyone decided it was Jerome's fault like it was a bad thing. 

He refused to think about the house and what Robert had shared. Wojciech and Mario and even David had their ideas but Jerome knew Robert was working through his demons. 

Jerome had nothing to do with that.

"I'm going to get food." He opened the door to find Marco with his hands full and struggling. "Hey...or bye?" Jerome left without a word. 

\---

Kevin of all people was the next to put him on the stand. He had just landed and was crashing on the couch with the gifts of chinese food and stuffed animals for the girls who were at their mother's. 

"How's George?" Jerome's focus was on the game on TV. "He's a few mental breakdowns away from leaving it all behind and becoming a war reenactor, so business as usual." Jerome was glad he didn't have to deal with that even if he missed his oldest brother. 

Kevin turned to face him with an unusually serious face, "I heard an interesting rumor." Jerome broke his chopstick. He couldn't believe it. He would wring Mario's neck. No one would blame him but Marco. His best friend was a nuisance when he got an idea in his head. Jerome rubbed his forehead. 

"No, I'm not having this conversation." 

"I just want to hear it from you, bro. It's just a rumor unless you say it's true." He bit his tongue. What was he supposed to say? Robert was being Robert. He brought Lunchbox over for Lamia and Soley. He didn't just visit but he stayed for a meal. He still tried overtly flirting and he still looked at him like Jerome was the solution to all of his problems. 

Like Jerome had done something other than be his friend and listen to his problems. It wasn't right and Jerome didn't know know how to articulate that. 

"He's not building me a house. I'm not moving to Poland. I don't know Kevin, my life isn't made for the hurricane he is." He exhaled loudly. Why didn't he just say no, every time Robert's eyes asked that question, is this okay? No, it wasn't. He was almost thirty, he had kids and an ex-wife. He wasn't going to be the saint to Robert's sinner. 

Kevin clapped a hand on his back. "Kid, you've been dealing with that storm since he came onto the scene. If it doesn't make you happy, stop inviting him in." 

"But if it's serious, you have to make the choice. Lamia and Soley aren't the only ones you need to take care of. You gotta think of yourself too." He went back to eating, done saying his piece. Jerome wished it was that easy.

He went to see the house. Most of the team knew the way now, helping Robert paint or hammer, getting repaid with food. The outside was repainted and the doorbell seemed too white to not be new. The porch still creaked under weight but it wasn't run down. 

Robert opened the door and Lunchbox jumped at his legs, slobbering in happiness. The furniture was in storage and the living room still had tarp on the floor from painting the walls. The kitchen and the master bedroom had been the first priority for Robert, along with painting all the walls. It was all done in inviting colors, suited to Robert's taste, or what he thought Robert would like. He had been in the polish man's apartment once, and it had been spartan, so he just guessed.

"Come in, I'm painting the guest room upstairs." Robert looked good, he could admit. In a plain shirt and jeans, working on his house, Robert had a sort of satisfied air to him. They went to the empty extra bedroom that had served as a catch-all for any pieces the family hadn't wanted to get rid of. Jerome kept going, to Robert's old room on a gut feeling.

It was repainted in a cheery yellow that would light up the room when the windows weren't covered. There was a bunk bed set and a toy chest and Jerome felt something snap inside of him. Robert was right behind him.

"You weren't supposed to--just wait, wait let me explain." Jerome closed his eyes, feeling an echo of the first time he had been in this room, but now he saw his girls running around with that stupid dog. He tried to talk through the anger.

"Were you going to have kids or were you just going to kidnap mine?" His nostrils flared, he balled up his hands, resisting pushing past the other man and leaving. 

Robert looked crushed and some small part of Jerome rejoiced, finally getting his just reward. "I didn't mean to. It's just a guest room. I wasn't assuming anything. I wouldn't-I wouldn't do that. I know it's your decision, and Sherin's. I just wanted to use the money they left me for something good. I'm not kidnapping anyone. I just thought, maybe, maybe you would visit sometime with the kids. That's it. I'm sorry." Jerome didn't want an apology. He was sick of Robert's apologies.

"Stop, stop doing this. Stop apologizing to me. Dammit Robert, how do you expect me to deal with this? Everyone thinks you're doing this for me, and I'm tired of it."

"Fuck everyone. Why does it matter what they think? What do you think?" Jerome took as step back from Robert. He needed the distance. 

"I think you want something I can't give you. I think you finally found yourself and you somehow hold me responsible and everyone goes along with it because they've only seen the fuck ups. You've struggled and fallen but I didn't pick you up, Robert. You did that yourself." Robert's eyes were bright as they looked at him.

"You think I want you to be my caretaker? I won't deny you're a big part of my life and you helped me get here but I don't want you take care of me. I just _want_ you. I want to take care of you." Robert was earnest and Jerome was breathless, all of his anger drained out of him.

"I should go."

He ran down the stairs with Lunchbox nipping at his heels. Robert didn't stop him, standing on the porch, keeping the dog still as he started his car. Jerome was probably an idiot for leaving this way.

\---

Marco and Mario brought Lunchbox over and Jerome knew they probably got the whole story from Robert. He had thought Robert would ignore it, would still come around and act like nothing happened, but it had been a month. 

A month to think it over. His first instinct was to balk at Robert's words. He had turned everything he thought certain on its head like it was child's play. All this time Jerome thought Robert would want someone to depend on, someone to lift him up when he was down and Jerome didn't want that job. He hadn't know how much he would miss Robert over the weeks he was gone.

He didn't even realize how much a fixture Robert was to Soley and Lamia. 

"When is Mr. Robert coming back with Lunchbox?" Soley asked, drawing with crayons a rough multi-colored blob that he was assuming was a dog or possibly a pony. Lamia was watching an animal show about elephants in the wild. 

"I don't know, sweetie. Mr. Robert is busy with his new house." He hunkered down by the coffee table. "Did he move?" Soley moved to draw herself on the pony dog with a big pink flag waving in the wind. Lamia was imitating a trumpeting elephant on the screen, standing on the couch to get taller. Jerome knew something was off with this picture and he was hesitant to even think of the reason. 

Sherin didn't fill that absence anymore. Her life overlapped his with the common area of their kids, but she wasn't the one he saw on the couch making elephant noises with Lamia.

"I don't know." A castle was added to the background as Jerome thought about the decision he had to make.

Marco let Lunchbox Stallone slobber all over Jerome before getting his attention with a squeak toy. Mario apologized for his boyfriend's passive-aggressiveness. Jerome just wiped his glasses off with his shirt. 

"How are you?" Mario perched on the kitchen counter and left Marco to attend the dog. Jerome ran his tongue across his teeth, keeping his mouth shut. He was still trying to figure that out. He wasn't happy about the situation, but the risks still kept him from going to Robert. 

"You missed the house-warming. He wanted you there." Mario started swinging his legs, thumping the cabinets. "How do you know he wanted me to be there?" Jerome had practically rejected the man in his own home, he understood why he wasn't invited. Mario stared at him unflinchingly. 

"You could tell, if you were there, but he also poured you a drink. We thought he was going to drink it himself, but he just left it on the table." Jerome felt a bubble of laughter stuck in his throat. What sort of an idiot celebrated with alcohol when he knew he shouldn't drink. 

When he knew Jerome didn't drink. _Oh._ Robert didn't need a caretaker, but he needed him.

He was a giant fool, just as hardheaded as his friends, but he still had a shot to make this right. 

"What do you want to do?" Mario asked softly, knowing that the realization kicked in. This was the final hurdle in Jerome and Robert's journey to finding their soulmate in each other. 

Jerome knocked on the door, feeling some strange role reversal in the universe. He was the one usually standing on the other side of the door, letting Robert break down and talk. 

Robert wasn't self-destructing or on a binge. There were shadows beneath his eyes, but nothing drastic, nothing like he had been before. Now, it was Jerome's turn to bear his feelings in the late night.

"You came." Robert smiled, letting him go inside. Jerome took it all in. The furniture was in place and it looked like a proper home without tarps and sheets and ripped up carpet. The remnants of cooking still lingered in the air and a blanket on the couch made him take a deep breath. It had been suspended in time the first time he had walked through the house but now it felt lived in. It felt like a hopeful beginning.

"You didn't come knocking at my door." Robert shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. "I thought you needed time. It took me long enough to realize I was in love with you. I figured I could give you the space to decide for yourself if you wanted this, with me." 

Jerome knew he was being honest. 

"What if I don't have an answer?" Robert's lips twitched upwards. "I could start fixing the yard." _I'll wait_ Jerome heard in the silence. Robert had chosen him to lean on and to rebuild his life around, but he had also chosen him to love. It wasn't just the soul bond connecting them anymore. They had years of building a strange footpath right into each other's lives. 

"Okay," he said simply and breached the distance between them leaning down. The storm in Robert's eyes was calm and clear, almost blue like a winter sky. He reached out with his hand, cupping the side of his face. He kissed Robert, briefly closing his eyes before leaping into a free-fall. 

"I'm still not moving in with you." He whispered, keeping his hand on Robert's neck, feeling him swallow before responding. Robert kept his eyes down, looking at Jerome's lips like he couldn't believe it had happened.

"That's okay." He went back to kissing him.

...

"I heard you left me a drink."

"I poured it down the sink, along with the rest of the bottle."

(Robert planted a garden. Lunchbox dug up a lot of dirt and the girls stayed for a month in the summer.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope it didn't drag on. As always, I'm pretty much at fault for all typos and mistakes. Does Jerome/Robert even have a ship name? I'm calling it Boadowski from now on.
> 
> Follow me on tumblr at miroklosely. :) 
> 
> Please tell me what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> A small soundtrack: Recovery-James Arthur// Breathe Me-Sia //The Reason-Hoobastank //Chasing Cars-Snowpatrol//Look After You-The Fray//I Won't Give Up-Jason Mraz// Out of My Head-John Newman//Whataya Want From Me-Adam Lambert//Stop The World I Wanna Get Off With You-Arctic Monkeys//Collide-Howie Day


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